One of the important benefits of airline status is not having to wait like most passengers. Priority is extended at the airport to check-in, sometimes to security, and usually to boarding. While I usually prefer to board last rather than first (who wants to sit in an airline seat longer than they have to), early boarding means being certain of securing overhead bin space. And if you’re already at the gate, better to sit in your seat rather than standing and hovering and waiting.
But one of the less discussed priority benefits is priority customer service over the phone. Airlines can take an eternity to get to your call. They always seem to say that ‘they’re experiencing higher than normal call volumes’ which means that no, they actually aren’t, call volumes are normal and so are long wait times.
Things get worse, of course, during bad weather that leads to plenty of delays and cancellations. More people call in for help with disrupted travel plans.
For an airline’s status members, however, they get priority with their phone calls. And there are two different kinds of priority, which are often conflated.
- Calls get answered first. They jump up the queue to have calls answered faster.
- Dedicated agents. They’re supposed to be better trained, and also specifically trained in the issues that frequent flyers have (as well as the exceptions and benefits that apply to their travel).
Some airlines just give call priority, others give dedicated agents, and there can be a tradeoff. If dedicated agents are overwhelmed sometimes you just want to get through to someone. During actual high call volume periods an airline might roll over its elite members on hold to the top of the general reservations queue.
Such dynamic call handling makes sense. At American Airlines, though, Platinum Pro members’ – second from the top published elite level, equivalent to Delta SkyMiles Platinum and United Airlines Platinum – calls get priority but will now roll over into general reservations instead of to dedicated elite agents for international bookings according to an internal airline memo.
Most customers probably won’t notice a difference, and crucially Platinum Pro members will still get elite priority in having their calls answered. This reduces complexity for American’s call centers. Although it’s less of an ‘elite’ service to these high-level status members.
I have EP status. I can tell you that my calls now don’t get priority because this week, I did not get my call back for 90 minutes. When the rep called back, I can tell she is not well trained and clearly not like the EP desk rep I used to deal with.
My experience on every call has been excellent. Each call asks if I want a callback and provides an extended wait time. I ignore the callback and wait, and I have never waited more than a few minutes. The reps have been excellent, except for one call today where I had to get transfered to the advantage desk. I have called at least 5 times in the past several weeks. I have EP status.
Do any of the US airlines give priority to those calling who purchased First Class or International Business Class and do not have status? Some folks don’t fly much (no status) but always buy the expensive seats. Shouldn’t they be given some priority when they call in?
@Don – Should the airline care more about the 1x per year flyer who spends $5000 on one flight, or the road warriors who fly every week or more in coach, but annually spend upwards of $20,000 on seats year after year , just for work travel, not including personal leisure travel?
@ Gary — If they would mostly eliminate the need for phone agents by investing more in ther websites, that would sove the problem. After all, Gen Zers dont even want to speak to anyone on the phone (neither do I, and I’m a Gen Xer), so the airlines will need to move to better websites sooner than later.
Higher than normal call volume means we are not staffed appropriately
First world problems…oh, the humanity.
A customer is a customer. The agents should get the same level of training and provide exceptional service to all. I have been EP for two decades and have had very bad service from ‘Elite’ agents and very good service from ‘regular’ agents. American Airlines needs to fix both sides of the problem…wait time and level of service.
What is incredible is that AA doesn’t look at non-elites who pay $16,000 for business class to Asia or whatever and route them quickly to a competent agent, but instead dumps them into the regular slow-to-answer queue manned by the borderline-incompetent regular support agents.
If there’s ever a chance that this high-spender might start flying AA, it’s forever gone after such an experience.
American Airlines will continue to dump on its key customers. This leadership team is 100% anti-service and sales. The don’t care, it’s all about saving a penny. Slowly becoming an embarrassment to carry the “American “ name. Shame on you AA.
$20K a year?
I’ve spent that in a Month – 20K is nothing status wise.
Most of the time when I call I get ok service. Sometimes the people are helpful, but sometimes they are not.
Sounds like a devaluation @Gary. If this was DL, we’d get your same DL treatment you always give. Call a spade a spade. Your AA boys aren’t cutting it. Maybe it’s because they’ve been giving anyone and everyone status that breathes air.
@Bobby J – should the airlines care more about someone who generates a lot of profit for them flying the airlines, or someone who bought top-tier status during the points promotion?!
SQ definitely has a phone tree for “press 1 for first class, press 2 for business class (or premium economy!), press 3 for economy”, with corresponding wait times… Of course, priority as well for top tier elites- if I call on my cell phone, it gets automatically routed to the Gold line, based on the caller ID- can’t remember that ever happening with US airlines customer service.
@George “Of course, priority as well for top tier elites- if I call on my cell phone, it gets automatically routed to the Gold line, based on the caller ID- can’t remember that ever happening with US airlines customer service.”
Delta has been doing this for many years. It always recognizes my phone number and routes me to the appropriate elite desk automatically.
@Bobby J I was thinking more about a person (like me) who is a current DL Diamond, who will be spending 2 X $10,000 a year (=$20,000) on 2 Delta One trips to Asia a year, but will not get enough MQM to be Platinum or Diamond. One would think 20K is 20K and Delta should treat me as good as the road warrior. BTW, some foreign carriers have an option when you call, “If you are traveling First Class or Business Class, press 1.”
Some Agents decide to go that extra mile for you. I have been flying AA and it’s codeshare partners since 1989 ( have been permanent Platinum since 2006 ) and yearly status’ have been either EP or Platinum based on my flying, of course, and it is all leisure travel.
I have had agents who will not even look at options when there are delays/cancels, and once said to an Agent when weather impacted a SAT-ORD-HKG AA/CX First itinerary, “can you look via DFW/NRT, LAX and more, and lo and behold, she found availability when I told her where CX flights exist! ( made me chuckle that she was not willing to think out of the box at all )
Recently, weather-related, again, an Agent via phone, dug deep, finding me options through other hubs when DFW had Winter weather. She really took the time to research flights and made it happen.
My favorite experience was recently during several weather related issues with BNA-JFK-LAX in First, and weather would obviously create a missed connection at JFK. A gate Agent was frazzled as I had separate itineraries, and sent me to the Admiral’s Club and I am not a member. The woman kept saying, “we don’t assist non-members,” yet she and the other person were just sitting there, and she finally got “approval” from a manager to assist. Routed via ORD, and the ORD-LAX flight ended up delayed by 5 hours. I found the magic Employee that day with the rebooking area in the K Gates, and this young lady had such a great personality and sense of humor- she rebooked me on Alaska Airlines via SFO, in First and enjoyed figuring out the puzzle, making the pieces come together- those moments make a difference.
@Steve, this is a website about frequent flying. We’re you expecting us to be talking about “third world problems” here?
I’ve seen this happen on a lot of articles lately. It’s like walking into a meeting of sommeliers and complaining that everyone seems very fussy about wine.
I just use the chat function on AA. I usually get someone within a few mins and it’s more than competent especially if you are armed with the options you want.
If I was an airline I’d be much more interested in the passengers who fly once or twice for $5k,$10k etc than those that are flying a million domestic trips and want 30 conversations a month re booking, rebooking and irops.
Naturally all agents are trained but in time their experience grows and they become better. And should speak to customers who are more valuable to the airline. Same in any business really.
Incidentally once had an agent change my wife and two kids from ord-dfw-vyr-syd on an aa biz award to ord-lax-syd. At Christmas with no award seats available. Still blows my mind “why don’t I just change you to the American Airlines direct flight?” Um ok
Every company is experiencing a massive decline in call quality. Spoke with reps at Ameritrade three times this week to close my account. All were morons. Glad not to be doing business anymore with a company whose founder supports DeathSantis.
DL said it first – When everyone is an elite, no one is an elite – AA has kicked out the Platinums long ago from good service, now the ranks of Platinum Pros are too many and so they are being cut.
@Mick, that must have been long ago when revenue management did not get their teeth into awards. When we had BA seats across the atlantic, Aa would routinely change us to AA flights that had no award space – as they were paying BA for the awards.
Now with TATL venture, you can not find a C/F award seat on any AA flight, but can always find BA seats with exhorbitant fees (which flow to AA bottom line)